March 24, 2011

Check out this great article in the Huffington Post about Celiac Disease and the gluten-free diet. The focus of the article is on the health aspects of embarking on a gluten-free diet, as well as looking at why the diet is used in various medical conditions including celiac disease and gluten intolerance.

March 23, 2011

Check out this great video follow-up from KKTV News 11 about celiac disease and the gluten-free diet. It looks at the problems people have with finding gluten-free food and how local grocery stores are responding to the need.

March 22, 2011

In an effort to make the United States more healthy, a project called Healthy People 2020 is working to assist federal agencies in setting priorities and in providing funding and support to organizations and institutions that are able to help achieve healthy objectives.

The Advisory Committee at HHS says that Healthy People 2020 “should no longer be known primarily as a print-based reference book to be kept on the shelf for a decade. It should also be a Web-accessible database that is searchable, multilevel, and interactive."

Healthy People 2020’s overarching goals include eliminating preventable disease, disability, injury, and premature death, as well as disease education.

March 21, 2011

A new study published in the journal Digestive Diseases and Sciences found that Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) is frequently associated with celiac disease.

RLS is a central nervous system disorder that is recognized by the compelling urge to move the legs that worsens at night. Both patients with celiac and patients with RLS typically have some sort of iron deficiency, which was the basis for the beginning research in the study. Celiac can often be labeled as a silent disease but can often be an underlying cause of many medical conditions including RLS.

Researchers hope that treatment with a gluten-free diet and aggressive iron replacement may improve the quality of life for patients with celiac disease who also have RLS. So far, roughly 50% of people with RLS have seen an improvement after starting a gluten-free diet.

March 17, 2011

The gluten-free market has been skyrocketing. It has experienced such growth that the race to discover the best ingredients that maintain acceptable texture, taste and mouthfeel in gluten-free products is still going strong.

So, why does it keep growing? Some suggest that it could be due to more testing and diagnosis of food allergies, especially in children. The prevalence of reported food allergy in the United States increased 18% among children under age 18 from 1997 to 2007, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In 2007, about 3 million children under the age of 18 were reported to have a food or digestive allergy. And, new labeling requirements by the FDA in both the US and Canada have led to a stricter practice of people knowing exactly what they are putting in their bodies and what is safe for them to eat.

According to the Department of Health and Human Services, eight types of food account for more than 90% of allergic reactions. The eight types are milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy and wheat. To create products free of allergens, manufacturers are always looking for alternative ingredients.

The gluten-free market has been skyrocketing. It has experienced such growth that the race to discover the best ingredients that maintain acceptable texture, taste and mouthfeel in gluten-free products is still going strong.

So, why does it keep growing? Some suggest that it could be due to more testing and diagnosis of food allergies, especially in children. The prevalence of reported food allergy in the United States increased 18% among children under age 18 from 1997 to 2007, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In 2007, about 3 million children under the age of 18 were reported to have a food or digestive allergy. And, new labeling requirements by the FDA in both the US and Canada have led to a stricter practice of people knowing exactly what they are putting in their bodies and what is safe for them to eat.

According to the Department of Health and Human Services, eight types of food account for more than 90% of allergic reactions. The eight types are milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy and wheat. To create products free of allergens, manufacturers are always looking for alternative ingredients.

Many every day cosmetic items such as lipstick and other personal care items contain some form of gluten and cannot be used by people with celiac disease. However, according to Mintel, between 2007 and 2009, the gluten-free cosmetics and personal care market saw the launch of seventeen new gluten-free cosmetics and personal care brands and the number of gluten-free lip products rose from one to 10.

Now that companies have introduced a gluten-free alternative to common wheat- and milk soy-derived proteins that are found in many products from lotions to shampoo, people with celiac or gluten intolerance can now apply beauty products safely and luxuriously.

Many of the products being developed are also vegan and are attracting a large consumer base. To read more about personal care going gluten-free, please visit:

March 15, 2011

Doctors have long been working to find different causes of infertility to help their reproductively challenged patients. There are many different reasons for infertility and patients often go to extremes to fulfill their desire to have a child.

Now, doctors are finding more and more evidence linking celiac disease to some women who are unable to conceive. One sign of this condition is an inability to gain weight even when constantly eating. Even if there are no other signs or symptoms of celiac, a woman could be the victim of malnutrition and not know it, leading her to difficulties getting pregnant.

To read more about celiac disease and infertility in women, check out this great article from Clinical Advisor at: